Electric switch.



H. PMSTE.`

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APP'LxcATloN man Nov. x2. 1914.

" @1,3% PatenedNov. 19, 1918.

onirico HENRY T. PAISTE. OF PHILADELPHIA. PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNCIR TO H. T. PAISTE COMPANY. O F PHILADELPHIA. PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OE PENNSYL- VANIA.

Bpecicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Nom 31% 31918@ Application filed November 12. 1914. Serial No. 871.748,

To f// /c/lom it muy conf-cm.'

lie it ltnown that l, HENRY ',l`. lno'rr;r1 a citizen ot they lnitedV States` residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania` have invented certain Improvements in lllectric Switches, ot' w'hich the t'ollowinpr is a `apecilication.

One object ot my invention is to provide a novel t'orui ot' electric switch particularly designed for use in pull Sockets, which shall have its parts so eonstrluted as to have a relativehv wide break between itsI contacts when these are Iseparated to open the switch, while having a cousiderabliv ,mialler dietance het weei said contactiuet before the)Y are engaged to complete a cu'cu1t;--the arrangeuieut otI parts beine- .auch that the t'riction between the movable contact or contacts and the ci) perat'in}1l parte shall he relatively small. t

A\notho1 object ot' the invent ion is to provide a rotar)Y switch ol the pawl and ratchet vpe. with it parte so arranged aud proportioned that ithl movable contact ou breaking'.

tvheeircuit i5 caused to iuOve through a conlsiderahli` greater distance than is, permitted or necessary in completing` said circuit, with a view to rendering' said switch available tor uee iu breaking` currents ot higherl voltage than that hitherto considered safe in switches oll the saule t'vpe and general dimensions,

These objects aud other advantageous ends I secure as hereinafter iact torth. reference being` had to the aecolupau'ving` drawings in which ltgures 1 and 2 are respectively a eide elevationvand a plan Of a Socket switch showing in v invention as applied thereto, the iuclosingshell or cansinov being' omitted Fig. 3 is a plan ot the interior ot the^ socket base, the top and certain of the .switch operating mechanism being omitted;

Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view or' the switch mechanism constituting my invention;

Figs. 5 and 6 are plans of the opposite Sides of the'chain receiving segment;

Figs. 7 and 8 are plans of the opposite sides of the operating ratchet plate, and

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic development -illustrating on a large scale the construct-ion of my improved switch.

In the above drawings l represents the usual threaded shell, 2 the porcelain base, and -t3 the porcelain top of an ordinary pull socket. Fixed to and rigidly connecting the blocks 2 and 3 is a metallic piece l having a tubular flared outlet 5 for the reception and guidance ol a chain (3 whereb)v the switch mounted between Said parte is operated. The conductor terminals ol the socket are provided by two metallic Supporto T and S each having a binding screw and extending` between, though not necessarily connected to the insulatingv blocks 2 and 3, and ot these terminals, the tiret is electric-all)Y connected to the spring contact S) which is centralhv mounted in the shell 1 while the Second is electrically connected to the contact plate 1t) cone'tituting one ol the fixed contacts ot' the switch. The Second ot' the tixed contacto` is provided by a similar contact. plate 1l electrically connected through a screw 12 with the threaded shell 1. The two tixed contacts 10 and 11 have the torni ot' helicall)Y curved, segmental strips mounted concentrically of the base piecel 2 upon oppoaitely placed helieally curved surt'aces of what ma)Y be described the ratchet teeth ot' the switch. These plate support-ing surlacee are ot' 900 angular extent and be tween theni are. two similar helical surfaces lil and 1l t'ormed o't' insulating;- material of the base 2. lt is to he noted however that the vertical faces between the highestV pontiou ot' the contact strips 10 and 11 and the lowest portions ot' the Surfaces 13 and 14, are of coinsiderabl)v greater length than are the vertical or tooth faces between the highesty portion oi said surfaces 13 and, 1l and the. loweet portion ot' said contacts 10 and 11. This well shown in Fig. 9 and while l do not wish to be confined to any particular proportion of parts. I have found that one eet of said verieal surfaces may be four times as high as the other. The movable member of the switch con- Sists oa disk l5 of insulating material, such as liber. to which is fixed a centrally perforated metallic plate 16 havin@ spring contact arms 1T projecting from opposite sidesA` and helically curved tol he concentric with the central openingT 18 on Said plate. ltloreover fue curved portions of these arms 1T are inclined to the plane of the disk 15 and are designed to cooperate with the contact plates 10 and 11 and the insulating Surfaces 13 and 14- carried by the base 2 of the socket.

Between the projecting radial portions of lll) ` the two arms 17 and inthe present instance This spindle is provided with a square head fitting into a correspondingly formed recess in the top 3 and has mounted upon it a coil spring 21 ywhose upper end vis held from ro-l tation in any lsuitable manner, as by being extended into-a hollow orpassagc i-n said head. Its opposite end is hooked into a lug 23 on the chain receiving segment 22, which is likewise rotatablyv mounted on .the spindle and has its body preferably madeiof insu- .lating material. The periphery 'of said body carries a eireularly curved channel portion -Qal designed for the reception of the inner,

end ofthev operating chain 6, while at its Vcauses `the contact arms. 17 to slide upwardly on'the iixedontacts 10 and 11,rhus causing the plate 15v and the segment 2;) to more lfarther toward the top- Irl against the action ot'l the spring v21. Finally,l however, the ends ot' the contact. arms 17 break the switch .circuit by passing oti' ot' the top edges of the fixed contact strips and 11, whereupon said algms with -the plate and thc segment 22 inox-'e bodily toward the socket base 2 through a relatively great. space` equal io the `distance from the highest point of one of the contact plates V10 to the lowest point of the insulating surfaces`13 ,or 14. In practice the" spring 21 is of such design that Aits action, aided by the resiliency of the arms 17, causes breakage ot the circuit' to `occur very suddenly and this action,sup

dropf of' the contact arms 17 onto the insueentral portion it carries ametallic plate-A lating surfaces 13 and 14, eiectuallyopens having four projecting teeth 26 placed to cooperate with the edges 'of' the four arms 17-17 and 19-19 carried by the plate 15.-`

I chain 6 will cause the intermittent rotation of thevtber plate 15 with its 'contact armsv 17 through angles of 90., so that the curved y With'the above described construction of parts, a succession of outward pulls on the portions ot said arms will successivelyen'- gage the ixcdlvcontacts 10, and.. L11 and the `insulated surfacesf13 'and 14." When theyv engage the said fixed .contacts the' circuit throughthe socket isclo'sed, since current lis free to flow from the terminal-Sgm the fixed contact 10',- thence through one of' the arms 17 to the plateil, the second arm 17,' fixed f contact 11 and through the'sc'rew 12in-thc threaded shell'l. It is noted, however,that if the helical' Contact portions of the .arms 17 are in engagement with the insulating surfaces 13 and 14 when the chain is pulled outwardly, the teeth 26 of the segment- 22 lenllggagetheedges of the arms 17 and 19 ofy the plate 15l causing said' plate' to make a 90o revolution1 As a consequence' the curved ends of the arms 17 ascend the' inclined surfaces 13 31171114, so that'both plate 15 and thev segiinenl--ZQ are moved bodily toward lthe'v'rto'p blockS of the socket, until finally lthe ends osaid arms pass off of thetop edgesof s'id insulating surface and under the action of the spring 21 drop respectively into engagement with the fixed contact4 strips 10. and-11.. This nal'movemcnt necessary to Vcomplete the switch circuit, is rel ativelytshort since there is no necessityror advantage for having it of any length and the vertical. tooth faces 30 are therefore made comparatively low. l l

l A relaxation of thl pull -on the chain f6 permits the spring 21 to rotate the segment '22 through arr angle ofl90o, while theplate 15 with its" arms is held from movement, and.

a subsequent outward pull upon said chain v noted that the movement ofthe contact arms 17 to a height or position from which they vcan b e suddenly moved togive a 'maximum break, is divided' intotwo portions, so that the inclination of 4each of the helical surplemented by the wide break caused by the faces upon which each contact moves is but.

little more than halfthat otherwise neces; sary to secure the wide break between the fixed and movable contacts. As ywill be un.

derstood'by 4those skilled in the art, a' large gapis required between the 'contactsat the time they are. separated, while when they are' being brought-into contact the gap between them maybe relatively small. For this' reason,l the vertical .height of the sur- 'faces 30, between the'top edges of the insulating surfaces 13 .and 14. andthe bottom ends of the ixed contacts 10 and 1,1 may be lrelatively short, whileby reason of the arrangement-.of partsabove described, it is possible to make the vertical heiglii'y of the surfaces 31, between the'topA edges of the fixed contact strips 10 and 11 and the lowest.

. portionsof the insulating surfaces 13 and 14, much greater than has v hitherto been.

considered attainable under commercial cond1t1ons. l cla1m:`-

`two blocks' of insulating niaterial spaced apart; a pair of. conductor terminals; a pair of terminals .for an electro-'receptive devicef; and means for electrically connecting' thet'erminals of one pair withthose of "the other pair respectively, vincluding fan electric switch mounted between said blocks, said switch consisting of a series of helical teeth formed inI the face of one of said blocks'and having between them alternating highand low abutments; fixed contact 1. The' combination in a 'pullivsocket ofstrips mounted on those teeth having the high abutments; n rotary Contact member having inclined spring Contact portions formed to slitlably engage the Contact strips and the helical surfaces of the teeth portions between them. alternately when said member is turned; with means for rotating the Contact member at will.

The combination in n pull socket of terminals; means for electrically connecting seid terminiils including an electric switch oonsistintgr ot a series oit' alternating high and low inclined teeth ot' insulating mzlterial; fixed Contact strips mounted on the inclined surfaces ot the higher teeth; a r0- tary Contact memberI having :it least one Contact portion formed to slithibly engage the Contact strips on the higher teeth und the inclined surfaces of the lower teeth hetween them alternately when said member is turned; with means for rotating the eontact member at will.

3. The combination in a gull socket ot' two blocks ot' insulating material spaced apart; n Conductor terminal; a terminal for an electroreeeptive device; and means for electrically connecting said terminals includingjan electric switch mounted between said blocks. said switch consisting of a series oi alternating high and low teeth on the tace of one ot the blocks, fixed Contact strips mounted on the inclined surfaces of the higher teeth, a rotary Contact member hav ing at least one contact portion formed to slidably engage the contact strips of the higher teeth and the inclined surfaces of the lower teeth between them alternately when seid member is turned; with means for r0- tating the Contact member at will.

lfn testiinony whereof, have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- HENRY T. PASTE. Y'Vitnosses W'ILLIAM. F. BRADLEY,

TVM. A. BA im. 

